My Mark Is His Posion

13

Chapter 13

FREYA'S POV

I was beginning to dread listening to the news Finnley returned with. There was never good news to be told.

We had not yet figured out a way I could get to Alpha Gideon so I could not take the risk of stepping outside the cabin. It was infuriating, but it was the safest thing to do for now.

As Finnley narrated all that he had heard that morning, my entire body went cold with fear.

"What do you think it is?" I asked Finnley as he passed the vial Bria had given him to Doctor Carver.

He stared back at me, saying nothing, but I could already read the meaning in his silence.

Sera made sure the doors to the cabin were locked while Doctor Carver cleared the table and set up the test kit he had brought along.

Tension filled the air around us. I nervously bit down on my fingernails while my breaths came out shakily. None of us said a thing as we watched Doctor Carver take out a small microscope and place a drop of the liquid on the slide.

Someone forced down a swallow and the sound seemed to echo round the cabin, making me more tense.

My heart pounded in my chest as I watched Doctor Carver stare through the lens, adjusting every now and then to zoom in.

Suddenly, he pulled away from the microscope, blinking rapidly.

"What? What is it?" I asked, sitting up.

Rather than respond, he interlocked his fingers while his eyes darted around.

I knew that look on his face too well. It was the stance he took when he was about to spill bad news. He would take some time to gather his thoughts together so he would stay calm and use the right words just before he told any of his clients that their test results came out negatively.

"Come on, spill," Sera insisted with a panicked voice.

"This is a slow-acting toxin that I believe they are using to suppress your Alpha's healing gene. The dominant compound in it can sever a mate bond over time, making the body of its host attack itself from the inside."

By the time Doctor Carver had finished speaking, I was certain that my heart had stopped working.

"So...so they are actually killing him slowly," Sera said softly, and we all knew it was not a question.

"And I'm sure they've been giving this to him for weeks and that's why he isn't getting any better," Finnley said through his teeth and my fists tightened with quiet rage at the thought of that.

I may have been banished from the pack like I was a nobody and treated like my own side of the story did not matter, but that was not enough to make me act like I did not care what happened to our people.

Even though I'd never seen the Alpha in person, I knew he had been a perfect leader since he assumed position. The pack had lived in unity ever since, so it made my stomach turn to hear that there were people eager to end both his reign and his life while lying to the entire pack.

I moved over to the table and stared at Doctor Carver.

"Does that mean that we have no solution to this?"

His brows pushed together as he thought about the question for a while.

He glanced at the vial and then brought his index finger to his lip, remembering something.

"There might be a solution," he sat up quickly. "The poison suppresses the mate bond but the poison can be made inactive if the mate bond is present."

I tilted my head, confused. "How?"

"The presence of the mate bond can act as a natural counteragent to the effect of the poison. As long as the bond remains inactive, the poison attacks your Alpha unopposed."

I turned my head towards Finnley as though to ask what he thought of the whole thing, but he already had his gaze on me.

"Do you think I..."

He nodded before the rest of the sentence left my lips.

"But...we're still yet to find a way to get me on the list of visitors. And even if we do, how certain are we that this would work?"

The room went silent as they mulled over my question.

"I guess we just have to take the risk," Sera replied. "The more time we waste, the more Alpha Gideon slowly dies."

I buried my head in my hands in frustration, knowing she was right. If Finnley had not been mistaken about the Alpha specifically calling out for me, then I was the only one who could save him at this point.

"If that is the case, I think I should..."

A loud bang on the cabin door swallowed up the rest of my words. We all jumped in fear and my heart began to pound in my chest again.

"Behind the sofa, quick!" Sera whispered with urgency while Finnley hurriedly cleared the table.

Doctor Carver and I immediately did as told, breathing heavily.

The knock came again, louder this time, rattling the whole cabin.

"I'm coming!" Sera answered, trying to sound casual.

I listened as she unlocked the door and pulled it open.

"Oh," she sounded startled. "B-beta Julian," she said with an awkward laugh. "What brings you to my humble home today?"

"I have no time for your silly games, young lady. I know she is here," he growled in a deep voice and I instinctively moved closer to Doctor Carver, as though he could provide any protection for me.

"What are you talking about, Beta?" Finnley spoke this time.

"I know you both know exactly what it is I'm talking about, and we all know what she is to the Alpha."

I could barely hear them over the sound of my own pounding heart but the heavy footsteps walking into the cabin was unmistakable.

The Beta's voice dropped to a menacing whisper.

"So, I will grant you one last chance to bring her out before I hand you all over to the elders for this treachery you've committed!"